By Hishan Welmilla
Sri Lanka Sports Minister Faizer Mustapha on Friday used his ministerial powers to resolve a burning issue in Sri Lanka netball to extend the appointment of Asian title-winning coach Thilaka Jinadasa to continue as coach until the next Asian championship in 2020.
Jinadasa, taking over Sri Lanka Netball team ten months ago trained her lasses to become the Asian Champions and then faced the same fate she faced in 2009 to be ousted from her position as coach, as the federation constitution provisions did not allow her to extend her contract.
However, with the minster’s decision, coach Thilaka Jinadasa will now have the opportunity and would take the responsibility to prepare a team to the next Netball World Cup to be held in Liverpool, England in 2019 and to defend Asian Crown in 2020.
The Sri Lankan Netball Team was crowned as the new Asian champions when they won the 11th Asian Netball Championship beating Singapore by 69-50 goals. With the new championship crown recorded after nine years, the interest of Sri Lanka’s most diversified sport received higher appreciation and many praised the achievement of Thilaka Jinadasa, the team’s Coach.
It’s a coincidence that Jinadasa happened to be the National Coach when Sri Lanka won the championship last in 2009, again after seven years since winning the crown in 2001 in Colombo.
A double National who represented Sri Lanka in the Women’s 110m Hurdles at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and in Netball, Jinadasa was awarded the role of Sri Lankan Coach for the Asian Championship 2018.
Be the first to comment